July 10, 447 A.R. – Morning (Vacation Day)
The traditional pre-ceremony vacation felt surreal, the city quiet, businesses closed, families spending time together before the moment that might change everything.
Rei's family had planned a simple day: late breakfast, a walk through the park, maybe visiting the market stalls that stayed open for holiday shopping.
Normal. Safe. The calm before the storm.
But Rei's mind was already elsewhere, cataloging faces and opportunities that might not come again.
As they walked through the central park, a sprawling green space that served as the city's communal gathering point, Rei spotted clusters of familiar faces. Classmates. People he'd spent two years avoiding.
"You're doing it again," Mira observed, walking beside him.
"Doing what?"
"Staring at people like you're solving a puzzle." She grinned. "It's creepy. Stop analyzing your classmates and actually talk to them for once."
If only you knew how right you are.
"Maybe I will," Rei said.
"Really?" Mira looked genuinely surprised. "You? Voluntarily engaging in social interaction? Character development strikes again."
Before Rei could respond, a commotion near the fountain caught their attention—someone had apparently knocked over an ice cream cart, and three cones were spinning through the air in a juggling pattern that seemed to defy physics.
The juggler was a lean boy with wild black hair and a grin that suggested he was enjoying the chaos he'd created. His younger siblings were laughing, his parents looking simultaneously amused and exasperated.
"That's Nyx Rainer," Mira supplied helpfully. "He's in your class, right? The one who's always getting detention?"
Rei nodded, watching Nyx catch all three cones with theatrical flair and hand them back to the vendor with an exaggerated bow. The small crowd that had gathered applauded.
Nyx. In my previous life, he tried to include me once. Invited me to hang out. I made an excuse. Too scared. He never asked again.
And later, he awakened with kinetic enhancement. Became one of the best underground fighters in the city. Stayed off Order radar by being too unpredictable to control.
"He's... energetic," Rei observed.
"That's one word for it," Mira laughed. "Come on, let's keep moving before he juggles something else."
They continued deeper into the park, past the fountain, toward the quieter paths lined with cherry trees.
A girl sat alone on a bench beneath the blossoms, sketchbook open, pencil moving in fluid strokes. Even from a distance, Rei could see intense focus in her posture, the way artists looked when the world around them faded into irrelevance.
"That's Lira Ashford," Mira whispered, following his gaze. "She's talented. Really talented. Dad says she could get into any art academy in the country if she wanted."
Rei studied her, wavy auburn hair pulled back in a messy bun, clothes that suggested function over fashion, the kind of quiet presence that made people overlook her despite obvious skill.
Lira. We were both quiet. Both observers. We could have been friends. But I never said a word to her in two years.
She awakened with light manipulation. Created illusions so real people couldn't tell them from reality. Made a fortune, stayed independent, avoided direct Order control.
Could still become an ally. If I can figure out how to bridge two years of mutual invisibility.
As they passed, Lira looked up briefly, made eye contact with Rei, offered a small nod—polite acknowledgment, nothing more, then returned to her sketching.
A moment of connection that meant nothing and everything.
Further ahead, near the park's main pavilion, a larger group had gathered. At its center stood a tall, athletic boy surrounded by friends and admirers, the natural center of any social gathering.
"Talon Graves," Mira said unnecessarily. "Captain of basically every sports team. Probably going to awaken something amazing and become a hero."
Physical enhancement. Strength, speed, durability. Became a Sentinel. Enforced Order law with absolute conviction.
Talon was laughing at something someone said, comfortable in his skin in ways Rei had never been. Popular. Confident. The kind of person who moved through the world expecting it to accommodate him, and it usually did.
As Rei watched, a girl approached Talon's group, sharp features, dark hair pulled back with geometric precision, moving with the controlled grace of someone who understood public perception.
"That's Vera Castellan," Mira supplied. "Merchant family. Smart. Really smart. Top of your class, right?"
Perception ability. Reading people like books. Rose through Order ranks faster than anyone expected.
Vera said something to Talon, too quiet to hear from this distance, and his expression shifted from casual amusement to thoughtful consideration. Whatever she'd said had weight.
She caught Rei's eye across the distance and held it for exactly two seconds, long enough to acknowledge his existence, not long enough to invite interaction, then returned her attention to Talon's group.
She knows I'm watching. And she just made a point of letting me know she knows.
Dangerous. But potentially invaluable.
"You really are staring," Mira observed. "This is the most interest you've shown in your classmates in two years. What changed?"
I died. Came back. Killed someone. And realized I can't afford to be alone anymore.
"Just thinking," Rei replied. "The ceremony's tomorrow. After that, everything might be different. Maybe I should... actually know these people before that happens."
Mira studied him with those bright hazel eyes that saw too much. "You're being weird again. But it's good weird this time, I think." She kicked his ankle affectionately. "Talk to them. Before we all potentially get superpowers and everything gets complicated."
Everything's already complicated. You just don't know it yet.
They were approaching the park's exit when Rei noticed another group, smaller, more exclusive. Two teenagers standing slightly apart from the common crowds, their clothing subtly but unmistakably expensive. Quality fabric, tailored cuts, accessories that spoke of old money rather than new.
The boy was perhaps nineteen, with sharp aristocratic features and hair the color of burnished copper. He stood with the casual arrogance of someone who'd never had to justify his presence anywhere.
The girl looked younger, maybe seventeen, with similar features but softer edges. Her expression was curious rather than dismissive, watching the park's occupants with genuine interest rather than condescension.
"Who are they?" Rei asked quietly.
Mira followed his gaze and her eyes widened slightly. "You don't know? That's Lucien Varen and his sister Elise Varen. From House Varen. The Western Territories nobility."
Varen.
The name hit like a physical blow.
Lucien Varen. The gambling addict's son. The one who bet away an entire county in my future timeline.
But right now, he's just... a teenager. Young. Arrogant. Not yet the broken failure who'd destroy his family's legacy.
"I thought noble families didn't come to public ceremonies," Rei said, trying to keep his voice neutral.
"Usually they don't. They have private awakenings at their estates." Mira shrugged. "But I heard Lucien insisted on coming to the public ceremony this year. Something about 'understanding the common experience' or whatever nobility tells themselves to feel philanthropic."
Rei studied them both carefully.
Lucien was talking to someone, a boy with glasses and an armful of books who looked simultaneously honored and uncomfortable with the attention.
Elise stood slightly apart, her attention drifting across the park until her eyes landed on Rei.
She held his gaze for a moment, not challenging like Vera's had been, but curious. Assessing. Then she smiled, small and genuine, before her brother called for her attention.
Elise Varen. I don't remember her from my future timeline. Which means either she died, left the territory, or became so insignificant that I never heard her name again.
But right now, she's here. Part of the Varen family. Potentially... useful? Dangerous? Both?
"Come on," Mira tugged his sleeve. "Mom and Dad are waiting at the tea house. And you're being creepy again with all the staring."
Rei let himself be pulled away, but his mind was cataloging everything:
Priority contacts:
Nyx Rainer - chaotic energy, potential ally Lira Ashford - quiet talent, similar temperament Vera Castellan - dangerous intelligence, high-value target Talon Graves - natural leader, uncertain trajectory Lucien Varen - future disaster, current unknown Elise Varen - complete unknown, potentially significant
Tomorrow night, Mira awakens. Tomorrow morning, the ceremony. And then everyone scatters into their new lives, powered or powerless, Order-bound or independent, allies or enemies.
I have maybe forty-eight hours before the social dynamics solidify into patterns that'll last years.
Time to stop being invisible.
Time to become someone these people can't afford to ignore.
As they left the park, Rei glanced back one more time.
Nyx was still causing cheerful chaos near the fountain.
Lira was still sketching, lost in her art.
Vera and Talon were deep in conversation that looked more strategic than social.
And Lucien and Elise Varen stood apart from it all, nobility observing the commons, not yet aware that one of them would destroy everything their family had built.
Tomorrow changes everything.
For all of us.